Ask

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…be glory.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Our oldest son has shown an increased interest in playing video games over the past year or so.  Elliott asked to play the Nintendo Wii the other night, so I let him play a couple of games before his bedtime.  I was talking to my father on the phone and lost track of time, so he got to play a little longer than I intended him to.  When I asked him to turn the game console off, he became outraged because he would have played ‘Star Wars Lego’ all night long if I would have let him.  The more I think about it, we treat God pretty much the same with what we ask of Him too...especially if we do not get our way.

We forget what Paul mentioned in his letter to the Ephesians, that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”  In the most simple of terms, we cannot possibly begin to ask for all that God desires to give us.  We cannot fathom all that He has to give us and I’d like to think that I have a pretty vivid imagination.

How awesome is it to think that we cannot even begin to imagine all that is contained in God’s endless and abundant riches?! Praise be to God!

This One's For Me

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.  Matthew 7:7-8

I truly believe that there is much more to prayer than simply asking and receiving.  After all, God is not just some proverbial genie in a lamp sitting around waiting to answer our every wish.  The truth is that God always seems to work on issues deep within our hearts when we petition him with our requests; many times He answers our prayers much differently that we would expect Him to.

This new year, as we persist in talking and listening to God, let us open our minds and hearts to allow God to work in his supernatural ways to give us a greater understanding of ourselves, our situations, and His purpose and direction for our lives.  Praise be to God!

Cry For Help

Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.  He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.  Psalm 55:22

The deeper my relationship grows with the Lord, the more I realize that He simply wants to care for me and help me whenever I ask.  Knowing this, why is it difficult to ask God for help sometimes?

You see, when we bring our burdens to God through prayer, we experience freedom from worry and anxiousness because we know that He is listening and He cares-regardless of how little or large our burdens may be.

We can receive the assurance of God’s love and concern through the promises of His Word and on our knees in prayer.

Ask

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…be glory.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Our oldest son has shown an interest in playing video games over the past few months.   Elliott asked to play the Nintendo Wii the other night, so I let him play a couple of games before his bedtime.  I was talking to my mother on the phone and lost track of time, so he got to play a little longer than I intended him to.  When I asked him to turn the game console off, he became outraged because he would have played ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ all night long if I would have let him.  The more I think about it, we treat God pretty much the same with what we ask of Him too...

We forget what Paul mentioned in his letter to the Ephesians, that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”  In the most simple of terms, we cannot possibly begin to ask for all that God desires to give us.  We cannot fathom all that He has to give us and I’d like to think that I have a pretty vivid imagination.

How awesome is it to think that we cannot even begin to imagine all that is contained in God’s endless and abundant riches?! Praise be to God!

Help!

Since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude He had, and be ready to suffer, too.  For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin.  1 Peter 4:1

Have you ever been asked to do something or set out to achieve something but felt like giving up?  I know have before and there are things that I still regret I unfortunately never completed.  When God calls us to a task, we should especially not give up.  Not only would you miss the blessing of finishing and reaching your goal, but not trusting God's promise may result in some sort of loving discipline from Him as well.

Just because God wants or asks you to do something does not mean that it will be easy.  The more important the task, the higher degree of difficulty it will often become.  Don't give up when the going gets tough.  Keep moving forward in faith; God is good to His people and will always answer the call to help!